The Holiday Season in MMO-land

His face bore the lines of
a man who had seen too much and forgotten too little.

Snow crowned the hood of
the heavy winter coat and draped on the shoulders – not so subtle reminders of
the chill of the winter’s night that was just beyond the door of the inn. Icy
waters splattered those nearby as the coat was cast off. He dropped into an
overstuffed chair by the fireplace of the inn, warming his hands quickly in the
orange-yellow glow. The innkeep brought a noggin of ale, an unlikely supplicant
on such a cold winter’s night. He took a drink, the foam thick upon his mustache
dribbled down into his beard. Dark eyes darted around, taking in the faces of
the audience sitting and waiting on him.

“So,” his bass voice
betrayed no hurry, “ye have come to hear a tale, have ye? Well, then, me ladies
and laddies, for the price of this pint – and yet another one or three – I will
regale you with the adventures of my life.”

And so it began. For those
who indulge in the role-playing elements of massively multiplayer online games,
the richness of the tableau – created by developers through characters, stories
and settings – does wonders to separate gamers from the real world and helps
immerse them in fantasy realms. But even though the worlds are completely
different in many regards, some traditions seep in. Take the holiday season, for
example. Many MMOs celebrate something – albeit named differently – that
approximates the holiday season.

After contacting several
publishers for a list of the celebrations held in their games, this is an
overview of what some MMOs do. It is, by
no means, a complete listing.

EverQuest II
runs from Dec. 10 to January 7th: The celebration is called Frostfell and it is
an amalgam of themed events and quests that enable players to gain level
experience quickly. From collecting frozen toes on the ice and snowdrifted
islands of Frostfell Village – accessible through both Qeynos and Freeport – to
quests that parody the Christmas Carol and feature a character named McScroogle,
the game has events that touch on the fantasy that is Norrath, while infusing
some holiday joy into the proceedings. Some newer quests, like the one that
involves an elf named Gardy, will have players adventuring to Antonica, while
others point in other directions in the vast realm. There are snowballs to
throw, as well as fruitcake, presents to make and receive, and a lot of holiday
spirit to experience.

Warhammer Online’s
2nd Annual Keg End Live Event runs from December 16th – January 4th: During the
celebration of the Dwarf New Year, players can earn exclusive in-game rewards,
including the titles "Brew Hound" (Order) and "Broo Dawg" (Destruction), a
deployable Party Keg allies may interact with to increase their morale gain
rate, and a Keg Tap with career-specific stats. Rare world drop items include
the Battlebrew Backpack (one for each tier in which they are found) and your own
personal keg toting servant - the Dwarf Keg Handler (Order) or Goblin Bar-Back
(Destruction)!

Dark Age of Camelot’s
Midwinter Festival kicks off December 17th and runs through January 14th:
During the festival, tavern keepers will decorate their buildings with holiday
adornments while the citizens of each Realm set up decorated evergreens and
offer them as gifts to those who provide them with assistance. The Realms will
also be visited by four special guests: Olibar the Midwinter Tomte (all Realms),
Santa Nicholas (Albion), Lucia of the Light (Hibernia), and Jack Frost (Midgard),
each who come to bring Midwinter cheer and gifts. Players may also participate
in the Trinkets for Tots quest to round out this season of giving.

Ultima Online’s
Festival of the White Hart will take place from December 15th through
January 4th: White Hart, a
holiday white stag, will appear on each shard to give out Christmas goodies,
including holiday cookies, Rum Balls, Angel Food Cake and Naughty Switches to
all the bad boys and girls. All current players who have characters 30 days or
older may choose from a collection of gifts for their homes, including a
nutcracker, four statues (Mermaid, Pegasus, Seahorse, or Griffin), or icicles.
There are also new holiday gift box containers.

Free Realms’
Snow Days has transformed Snowhill into a winter wonderland filled with food,
fun, and of course – presents! Visit Candi Ivy near the Gifting Tree in Snowhill
to help protect the presents from a wicked gang of Robgoblins and the abominable
snowmen! Follow the holiday quest line and players might just get a chance to
try all of her neat holiday sweets. Pelt your friends with snowballs as you duck
behind ice barriers in the Snowhill snowball fighting area.

EVE Online
has a holiday celebration running from December 18 to January 6th:
The EVE development crew has managed to thaw out it‘s frozen asteroid heart and
give a little something back its community in the form of the Zephyr. The Zephyr
is a unique starship design, relying almost entirely on solar winds for sublight
propulsion. Super-light sails allow it to ride the torrents of photons streaming
through space, and its barebones construction gives it a tiny sensor footprint
and almost negligible mass. This gift is available to one character on the
account.

World of Warcraft
offers the Feast of Winter Veil, which began December 25 and runs until Jan. 2:
There are quests that will have players finding Metzen the Reindeer, or tracking
the missing Smokeywood Pasture’s shipment, there is gift giving, and the bosses
of Northrend will drop holiday attire. For more fun you can get into a snowball
fight, or find the snowmen wandering about Ironforge and Orgrimmar.

Lord of the Rings Online’s
Yule Festival: The inn in Thorin’s Hall is the site of the Glorious Beer Fight
that involves a short supply of rare ale, and a bat; special Yule steeds are
part of the revamped Horse Races; and, of course, there are Yule quests to make
the season bright.

TLBB’s
Winter Legends runs from Dec. 16 to Jan. 15: From a blizzard that blankets the
world to a chess game involving snowmen, TLBB offers several different takes on
some traditional holiday events. Throw snowballs at a snowman, forcing it to
give up presents, or players can engage in a snowball fight or even build their
own snowmen.

City of Heroes/Villains’
Winter Event runs from Dec. 15 to Jan. 5: Battle Lord Winter or help out Father
Time with quests of heroic proportions. There are also ski challenges and
holiday auras, candy canes and Gamester’s gifts, as well as a Winter Gift
enhancement that works with travel powers. Holiday Spirit and Holiday Cheer are
temporary powers players can get just for logging into Paragon City, and there
is a Festive Badge that is new for 2009.

Aion
celebrates the Solorius Festival: Included are seasonal baked goods, holiday
decorations and the ability to team up to create a musical holiday masterpiece
on really big instruments.

* * *

Now while there are other
titles that offer holiday fare for their game players, this is just a
cross-section of what some titles are doing to keep players active and involved
while keeping an eye on the holiday season.